Climbing assembly



Feb. 25, 1936. E. G. M KINNEY CLIMBING ASSEMBLY Filed June 10, 1932Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 22 Claims.

This invention relates to climbing assemblies and more particularly toimprovements in pole climbers.

In the known type of pole climbers utilizin hooks or spurs which arekicked into a pole or the like, certain disadvantages exist among whichmay be noted the hacking of the pole by the hooks Or gafis which raduanyreduces the life of the pole. Further, there is the danger with thistype of device of the lineman falling as, for example, when the gaffsslip out of the pole, due to de- Iecti've wood or to improper use of thedevice or to electrical shock suffered by the lineman coming intocontact with live wires.

Accordingly, an object of my invention is the provision of a poleclimbing assembly which is V efficient in use and which substantiallyeliminates the danger of the lineman falling. A further object is theprovision of a pole climbing device incorporating a flexible connectionbe tween the member which is attached to the foot of the user and thespur or equivalent element held to the pole, whereby the linemans legsare flexibly held and are movable within reasonable limits. A furtherobject is the provision of a. climbing device by the use of which alineman may be held to the pole in case of shock without danger oftwisting his knees or the like, as would occur in the case of fall werethe stirrup or foot member held rigidly to the pole. A further 7 objectis the provision of a novel form of pole attachment for use in aclimbing assembly, which attachment may be driven into or otherwiseassociated with the pole prior to raising the same or which may, withequal facility, be secured progressively to a raised pole by the linemanas he climbs the same. A further object is the provision of a poleclimbing assembly incorporating a fixed attachment to a pole and aclimbing stirrup having an element cooperating with the pole attachment,in which the element may be readily associated with the attachment butis substantially incapable of accidental removal therefrom. A furtherobject is the provision of a climbing attachment for concrete poles,steel poles, towers, smoke-stacks, and the like. A further object is theprovision of a novel form of ladder with which may be associated aclimbing device carried on the feet of the climber.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawing and inpart hereinafter indicated from the following analysis of the invention,in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing illustrating anembodiment of myidea,

In the drawingv Fig. 1 is a side view, certain parts being shown insection, of my preferred form of climbing assembly;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the devices shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is illustrative of a modified form of climbing assembly;

Fig. 4 is a section along lines 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial top view of the assembly of 10 the Fig. 3modification;

Fig. 6 is a partial side elevation of a ladder or equivalent structuralelement provided with climbing attachments in accordance with myinvention.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, Iprovide a stirrupmember generally indicated at IU adapted to bevpositioned beneath the linemans instep and fastened about the ankle by astrap II or equivalent se 0 curing means. The stirrup Ill comprises anL- shaped element of strap iron or steel, the horizontal leg of which isprovided on its under face with a longitudinal reinforcing rib l2. Therelatively outer end of this leg is extended upwardly as at 25 13 andprovided with a loop or eye l4 forming a point of securement for theattaching strap. The vertical leg H: of the L-shaped stirrup member I0is provided with an aperture l6 as will be hereinafter fully described.

Welded or otherwise secured to the parts 10 and I5 of the stirrup memberis an auxiliary L- shaped strap H, the vertical leg I8 of which extendsparallel and in spaced relation to the vertical leg I5 as aforesaid andwhich is provided with an opening I9 in alignmentwith the opening oraperture l6 of the stirrup portion I5. The horizontal leg 20 of theauxiliary strap member extends to the top edge of the stirrup portion I5and is suitably secured thereto as by welding. Connection between thelower end of the auxiliary strap member IT and the horizontal legportion of the stirrup I6 is made as by welding, as'at 2|. An eye 22 issecured at the junction of the leg l8 and horizontal leg portion I0 andforms an anchor for the strap ll.

Projecting through the said aperture I6, I arrange a rotary stud 25having a threaded shank portion and a head 26 which is arranged in thespace between the vertical strap portions l5 and '50 I8 of the stirrupmember, the stud being adapted for insertion through the aperture [9 ofthe leg i8, which, for convenience in assembly, is of greater diameterthan that of the stud head 26.

,A lock nut 26a is threaded to the threaded shank '55 ,le sAB. whic atread dst xte portion of the stud 25 and cooperates to hold thereon aspur element 21 having a pointed shank 21a. In order to permit rotationof the spur element 21 and stud 25 relative to the stirrup, the portion25a of the stud which bears on the inner surface of the aperture I6 issuitably machined.

By means of a lug fixed to and rotatable with the head 26 of the stud, Imay secure to the stud a. spring 3| which is anchored at its other endto an eye 32 fixed tothe strap portion 28 of the stirruprmember. Thus,the spur 21, together with the stud 25, is flexibly and rotatablyconnected to the stirrup member I0, the spring 3| serving to maintainthe spur in a normal operative position prior to its insertion in thesocket, to be de scribed in the following.

According to my invention, I provide as an attachment to a pole to beclimbed a series of spikes 35 substantially as illustrated, the saidspikes having a pointed shank portion 36 of preferably square sectionand a head portionil. .The head portion m ore, clearly illustrated inFig. 2, is provided with an aperture ;3.8, advantageously of oval'shape,and'forming' a socket into which the spurt! maybeinserted. In order thatthe spur maybe substantially rigidly held in the socket 36,

,I, prov i dethe socket opening withstraight walls 39 (see'Fig. 2) Thespur 21 is of corresponding cross-sectional formation as the socketaperture .38: tii'rning f the'spurabout its'lOngitudinal axis isprevented. In order to aid in .l'n erting the spur 2 1 into thesockethead 31 of .thespikefIlm'ay slope or incline the upper walls5,0;pfthesocketaperture 38. Thus the .point 21a of 'the spur isguidedinto seating relation in the socket aperture.

In orderjtoI p'reventcrushingof the woodof the pole -as heavyweights arecarried by thespike 3 5, I proi'gide pressure wings or plates 42 whichextendhorizontally,frpmfthe under faceof the spike. :I have foundjitfurther desirable to ,providethe spike with notches 4 3 alongjitslrelatively ,upper edges to keep the spike' jfrom working out offthepole. diie to 'contin ied use.

,I n th e modified form or construction illustrated inFigs.3,f'4 and {51haxte shown equivalentform ,of connection befiwefin the spike 35a andthe According to this modifist ruplmember 1.0a.

, cation thes pjikefid is providedwith an'upwardly extending spur whichcrosssection is preferably rectangularlfsiee Fig.4). Otherwise the spike,is substanti lly similar to the spike illustratedQin'QFig'. 1, being vprovided with the lower bearingplate lla and notches 13a. The stirrupmemberftlldcar'ries, instead of I the spur as in the p,r'efvicius'Iform, va socketjlfipdal ted to fit over and be held by the spur '45. Saidsocket is o d int g ally or othe wis n a lo at d Q sha'pfid,strapelement 4] between the vertical The tlid isQprovided witha head2'61) and s rotatably :comiect'ed to the'stirrup 'llla and to the socketsupp'orting'element fllby means of holding nuts 0 and 5l'.fl'hus'thesocketiqii and stud 25a may be 'securely cooperated with thespur 45 of the spike'35a' with the stirrup 1 0a permitted aro'tary,movement about theaxisof thestucl. 25a.

1A spring'52 hayingone end 'i'ixed'to a lug 53onithesofcketcarryingelement .41 and its other ,end' fixedin a,lug, 54fpnned onthe stirrup mem ,ber maintains] the socket 461 in normallyoperative 'positionfand furtherserveslto return these parts to, theirnormal position [of thest'irrupjmember.

after turning movement gy reference Fig. the socket A6 is provided withan interior concavity having vertical walls 56 through a portion of thedepth of the cavity, the said walls curving outwardly as at 57 adjacentthe socket mouth, thus to permit ready insertion of the spur 45 into thesocket opening.

It is believed that the operation of the climbing assembly as aforesaidwill be readily understood by those familiar with the art. The stirrupll! or Illa is attached to the foot of the lineman by suitablymanipulating the holding strap H over the ankle and instep of the foot.The spikes 35, 35a are driven into the poles preferably before placingthe same into the ground and form a permanent and lasting attachment tothe pole. In the construction of Figs. 1 and 2, the spurs 21 carried bythe stirrups are cooperated with the socket openings 38 in the spikesand the foot is thus removably held to the pole. The flexible connectionbetween the spur 21 and the stirrup, ac cording to which the spur andstirrup are relatively rotatable about an axis which .extendstransversely of the foot, permits adegree of movement of the foot andleg of the lineman, whilev at the same time preventing any accidentalremoval of the spurfrom the spikesocket. In the modified constructionillustrated in Figs. 3.and 4, the socket carried by the .stirrupisdisposed over andabout the spur 45carried by the spike 35a, the,operation of the assembly being otherwise that of the constructionshownin Figs. .1 and 2.

As previously indicated, the-invention may also be utilized forclir'nb'ingtowers, steel'posts, ce-

ment.posts smo-kestacks, and theflike, by the provision in such elementstobe climbed ofattachments i i-the nature of spikes 3.5 or 35a. 'In Fig.5

;I have shown a, structural element 58 provided withsuch.attachmentsl3'lb, illustrated as a socket,

and which may be infthenaturev of, a spike. or may becast orformed.'integrally. therewith or suitably secured thereto. "-Itwill bereadily appreciated thatfthestirrup member as illustrated inFig. 1"

may be progressively'cooperated with the attachments 31b,permittingthelineman or workman jtoie adilyflclimb the element 58.Itwillbe fur- .ther'se'en tliatithe' element 58.may take the form Yof aladder such as 'wou'ldhave utility when .associate'dwith a tower, forexample,,. such ,ladder being constructedwith or. forming .an integralpart of the tower construction.

:Without further analysis theforegoing will so fully reyealthegistfofth'is invention that others can by applying currentknowledgejreadilyadapt it for various applicationswithout omittingcertain features thatgifrom thestandpointof the .prior art, fairly-constitute essential character- 'istics of .the generic .orlspecific'aspects of this 'inxizention and therefore such adaptations should and,are. intended to .begcomprehended within the 7 meaning and range, ofequivalency of the follow- ,ing claims.

said members carrying an element adapted to be detachably secured to oneof the first-named elements, certain of said elements being providedwith sockets and other of said elements provided with spurs forinsertion in said sockets, and means to prevent relative movementbetween a spur and a socket into which it is inserted.

3. In a climbing assembly, the combination of a series of fixed elementson the object to be climbed, stirrup members and means for securing saidmembers to the feet of the climber, each of said members carrying anelement adapted to be detachably secured to the first-named elements,and a flexible connection between the stirrup members and the elementscarried thereby.

4. In a climbing assembly, the combination of a series of fixed elementson the object to be climbed, stirrup members and means for securing saidmembers to the feet of the climber, each of said members carrying anelement adapted to. be detachably secured to the first-named elements, afiexible connection between the stirrup members and the elements carriedthereby, and means to maintain the stirrup members in a predeterminedposition in relation to the elements carried thereby.

5. In a climbing assembly, the combination of an element secured infixed relation on the object to be climbed, a stirrup member and meansfor securing said member to the foot of the climber, an element carriedby said stirrup member adapted to be detachably secured to saidfirstnamed element, means tending to maintain the last-named element andthe stirrup member in predetermined angular relationship, and the firstand last-named elements being so formed as to prevent relative turningbetween said elements upon such securement.

6. In a climbing assembly, the combination of an element secured infixed relation on the object to be climbed, a stirrup member and meansfor securing said member to the foot of the climber, an element carriedby said stirrup member adapted to be detachably secured to saidfirstnamed element, and a rotatable connection between the stirrupmember and the element car ried thereby, said connection includingprovisions for preventing free rotation between the stirrup member andthe element carried thereby.

7. In a climbing assembly, the combination of an element secured infixed relation on the object to be climbed, a stirrup member and meansfor securing said member to the foot of the climber, an element carriedby said stirrup member adapted to be detachably secured to saidfirstnamed element, a rotatable connection between the stirrup memberand the element carried thereby, and means to restore said stirrupmember and said element carried thereby to a normal position afterrelative rotation therebetween.

8. In a climbing assembly, the combination of an element secured infixed relation on the object to be climbed, a stirrup member and meansfor securing said member to the foot of the climber, an element carriedby said stirrup member adapted to be detachably secured to saidfirstnamed element, one of said elements being provided with a socketand the other element with a spur engaging in said socket, and means toprevent relative movement between a spur and a socket into which it isengaged.

9. In a climbing assembly, the combination of an element secured infixed relation on the object to be climbed, a stirrup member and meansfor securing said member to the foot of the climber,

carried thereby, said connection including provisions for preventingfree rotation between the stirrup and the element carried thereby.

10. In a climbing assembly, the combination of an element secured infixed relation on the object to be climbed, a stirrup member and meansfor securing said member to the foot of the climber, an element carriedby said stirrup member adapted to be detachably secured to saidfirst-named element, one of said elements being provided with a socketand the other element with a spur engaging in said socket, a rotatableconnection between the stirrup and the element carried thereby, andmeans to restore said stirrup and said element to a normal positionafter relative rotation therebetween.

1 1. In a climbing assembly, the combination of a spike adapted to bedriven into a pole to be climbed, the spike provided with a headextending exteriorly of the pole, a stirrup member adapted forattachment to the foot of the climber, means extending from said stirrupadapted for detachable securement with the spike head, and a flexibleconnection between the stirrup and said means.

12. In a climbing assembly, the combination of a spike adapted to bedriven into a pole to be climbed, a head thereon provided with a socket,a stirrup member adapted for attachment to the foot of the climber, aspur carried by the stirrup for insertion into the socket of the spikehead, and a flexible connection between the stirrup and the spur carriedthereby.

13. In a climbing assembly, the combination of a. spike adapted to bedriven into a pole, the spike having a head formed as a spur, a stirrupmember adapted for attachment to the foot of the climber, a socketcarried by the stirrup member for detachable securement to the spur ofthe spike, and a flexible connection between the stirrup member and thesocket carried thereby.

14. A climbing attachment for poles and the like comprising a spikehaving a shank portion of substantially rectangular cross section and ahead portion, the shank portion being provided with a pressure plateextending from. its lower face and with notches along its upper face,the head portion being provided with a socket opening.

15. A climbing element for poles and the like comprising a spike havinga shank portion of substantially rectangular cross section and a headportion, the shank portion being provided with a pressure plateextending from its lower face and with notches along its upper face, thehead portion being formed as a spur.

16. In a climbing device of the character described, an L-shaped stirrupmember adapted for attachment to the foot of the climber and including ahorizontal leg and a vertical leg, a strap eye arranged adjacent thejuncture of said legs, a strap having an end anchored in said eye, abuckle eye arranged adjacent the other end of said horizontal leg, abuckle anchored thereto, the strap being adapted to extend forwardlyover the instep of the foot and thence rearwardly around the ankle andthence forwardly and across the instep for securement at its free endwith said buckle.

1'7. In a climbing device, a stirrup member and means for securing saidmember to the foot of the climber, an element carried by said stirrupmember and adapted for engagement with the object being climbed, meanstending to maintain the element and the stirrup member in predeterminedangular relationship, and a flexible connection between the stirrupmember and said element, whereby said stirrup member may be turned withrespect to said element during such engagement.

18. In a. climbing device, a stirrup member and means for securing saidmember to the foot of the climber, an element carried by said stirrupmember and adapted for "engagement with the object being climbed, aflexible connection between the stirrup member and said element, wherebysaid stirrup member may be turned with respect to said element duringsuch engagement, and means resisting such turning movement.

19. In a climbing device, a stirrup member and means for securing saidmember to the foot of the climber, an element carried by said stirrupmember and adapted for engagement with the object being climbed, meansproviding for relative turning movement between the stirrup member andthe element during such engagement, and means operative upondisengagement of the element from the object being climbed to restorethe stirrup member and element to predetermined angular relationship.

20. In a climbing device, a stirrup member and means for securing saidmember to the foot of the climber, an element carried by said stirrupmember and adapted for engagement with the object being climbed, arotatable connection between the stirrup member and the element carriedthereby, and means to restore said stirrup member and said element to anormal position after relative rotation therebetween.

21. In a climbing device, a stirrup member, means for securing saidmember to the foot of the climber, a spur carried by said stirrup memberand rotatable with respect thereto about an axis which extendstransversely of the foot of the climber, and means operative between thestirrup member and spur for normally restraining said spur againstrotation about said axis.

22. In a climbing device, a stirrup member, means for securing saidmember to the foot of the climber, and a socket element carried by saidstirrup and adapted for engagement with a. spur element on the objectbeing climbed, the socket member being rotatable with respect to thestirrup member and about an axis which extends transversely of the footof the climber.

EDWARD G. MCKINNEY.

